Discourse on the Root of Existence

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In this profound discourse, the Buddha exposes and eliminates the popular worldly misconception of an ego at its most fundamental level.

The Mulapariyaya Sutta is considered one of the most important texts in the Pali Canon. The Buddha taught it to clear away the mental obstructions preventing a correct grasp of his teachings and to open the way for insight to arise. It aims at eliminating the whole range of subjective misconceptions centered on the concept of an ego right down to their roots. It reveals the structure of man's ego-biased orientation towards the world, shows the way this mental stratification colours and distorts his understanding, and points out the work of inner re-orientation he must do to free himself from his egoistic bonds.

This work offers an English translation of the discourse together with its commentarial exegesis, essential for understanding the many difficult passages occurring in the primary text.

Very Helpful Book

This translation is especially notable not just because of its high quality, but more importantly for the accompanying commentaries. The Sutta itself is dense, likely intentionally so, and the classical commentaries unpack that density into a rich, generative loam. What I value most, however, is the introduction and notes provided by the translator, Bhikkhu Bodhi. This is part of his immeasurable contribution to Buddhism for English speakers.